I don't sleep before trips...

It is two a.m., and I'm obviously not sleeping. I've just finished (hopefully) packing for my spring break trip to NYC. I'm going with about 21 other really cool people, and I'm so excited!

So here's what I'm excited about:

• intentional relationship building with people who I think are really cool, but don't know very well
• exploring NYC
  
• Broadway shows = love
• seeing God work in really cool ways
• doing various service projects & "reliving" summer project
  

Things that I'm nervous about:

• sharing my faith with other random college students
• jealousy
• feeling overwhelmed in a group 24/7
• unfulfilled expectations
  

So that said, I would LOVE your prayers over the next week. I'm really excited to be doing a trip so similar to my summer project in Seattle from two summers ago, but I'm also nervous that I have unrealistic expectations about how great this week will be. I know that God is going to do some really cool things, and hopefully use us in unexpected ways, and I hope that I can get past my own agenda to actually see the crazy things happening all around me.

In other news, I'm finally done with midterms and able to relax. I don't have class on Fridays, so I spent all day today running errands preparing to leave tomorrow, but I got to end the day hanging out with a few friends watching HSM3 (best movie ever made? okay, maybe not, but still funny and wonderful!). Saddest part of my day though was missing out on catching up with a friend who was in town for the day, because I had such a weird/busy schedule. Friendships are so difficult post college (well, she's post college); it's hard to stay in touch. I'm not incredibly excited about dealing with that in FOURTEEN months, but I'm not going to worry about it for the next thirteen months.

Time to get some sleep! We leave in a few hours... so pray for safe travels for us too! And expect an update when I get back on how amazing the trip was AND how twilight II is (I'll be reading it on the bus!)

love, me

An update, crazy... I know. Well just to satisfy the like five people who read this... I just read a book and HAVE to share about it.

So we've all heard about the Twilight craze. In case you haven't, it's an obsessive-love story of a vampire and a human. You're all caught up. Really, it's like 600 pages of them falling in love with minimal drama. I decided to read it because someone sold it to me for fairly cheap, but I wasn't expecting much. Again, it is a story about a vampire, not really something I usually get excited about. More like something I'd make a face at in B&N and keep looking. I will never judge again...

So Edward & Bella fall in love, but he's a vampire and she's not. There's that whole "drinking blood" issue and Edward is (unhealthily) obsessed with Bella... so there is kind of a worry that he might kill her, but she captivates him so he protects (stalks) her from danger, and that child can get into some trouble. Really, it's not the best writing ever. That said, I'm completely in love with Edward and Bella's relationship.

I could never describe to you the depth of that relationship, but all I can think about is how I can have that in like all of my relationships. I want it with my friends, with my boyfriend, with my family... it's my deepest longing - in a novel. (I do not long, however, for a vampire boyfriend. That would be the wrong thing for you to take away from this post.) So I was gushing to several people about how AMAZING that relationship is and how AMAZING the book is... and how impractical it is, how that doesn't happen in real life, how it never could. I'm not incredibly optimistic about relationships of any kind, if you didn't know that about me. (Although, you should. It was basically in my 25 things.)

... thats when a friend reminded me of Redeeming Love.
Twilight stole that love story, right out of the Bible :) Hosea and Sarah, now there is a love story. There are friendships, and families, and love stories that will make your head spin. That is what I want. Still a little unsure of how to get it, but rest assured... my Jesus has it allllll under control.

love, me

"So ready for this to be the end," he murmerured, almost to himself, "for this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely started. You're ready to give up everything."
"It's not the end, its the beginning," I disagreed under my breath.



"There's so much I have to say. So many things to tell you."
He combed his fingers into her flowing hair and tilted her head back. "We have the rest of our lives."
She knew then that she had doubted he would forgive her again, but he already had. She could live with him forever and not know his depths. She went into his arms, pressing herslef as close as she could, her gratitude so strong she could hardly bear it. He was warmth and light and life. She wanted to be flesh of his flesh and blood of his blood. Forever. Closing her eyes, she felt like she was finally home again.